First News
Sonoma County First News for August 14, 2024
Mostly clear skies 50s and a couple of 60s out the door. Today will be sunny with highs near 88. I'm Mark Prell. Good morning from the KRCB Sonoma County Newsroom. Here's your first news for Wednesday, August 14, 2024. A man suspected of being involved with a vegetation fire that burned 18 acres of Marin County yesterday was arrested the same day. The Marin County Sheriff's Office says a 34 year old male of San Rafael has been accused of recklessly starting a fire to forest land and resisting a police officer. The so-called Queen Stone Fire broke out just after 4 a.m. Tuesday, north of Marinwood. That's a community between San Rafael and Nevada. Over 100 firefighters from Cal Fire and every fire department in Marin County were deployed and extinguished that fire. Marin County Sheriff's Office says the man admitted to starting the fire saying he burned his tent and belongings in the area of the Queen Stone Fire and left before completely extinguishing it to avoid getting in trouble. San Rafael County efficient autos of lifelong learning, entertainment and access to knowledge are hoping a measure at the end of the November ballot passes. As KRCB's Mark Albert reports, Measure W extends an eighth of a set sales tax for libraries approved by voters in 2016 is Measure Y. Eight years ago, Measure Y was popular with voters and library staff say it remains so. We told people that we would invest that eighth of a cent, which is very small. It's the smallest sales tax in Sonoma County. We told people we would invest that in free public services for them. And that's exactly what we've been doing. Right, Holly is a spokesperson for the Sonoma County Library System. Reauthorization, Holly says, would continue improvements. We were open five days a week. Now we're open seven. We extended hours in the evenings. We extended hours on the weekends. We are investing a lot in technology and collections and we're investing in the staff. Lending books is still our primary business. The sales tax funds allow us to invest more in collections. We buy more books. We get more electronic books, ebooks, audio books. We have databases. We have a free alternative to Netflix, free alternative to Spotify. You can read the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post and New York Times, even the press Democrat. All this stuff is free with your library card. And that's what we use our tax funds for. While Measure Y's funding won't run out until early 2027 with higher voter turnout expected this year, officials opted to try now. That's despite a lengthy list of taxes and bonds going before voters this fall, knowing they could get a mulligan. If we do not prevail, it gives us a chance to come back in a couple of years, but we feel really good about it. More physical work is also ahead, Holly says. In Petaloma, we're working with the city to modernize the library, which was opened in the 70s and still has its original carpet. And believe me, you don't want to get anywhere near that carpet. We're working with the city of Healdsburg. We'll be doing work in Windsor. We are going to be doing work in East Santa Rosa at the Rankin Valley branch. Of course, we're building a library in Roseland. This is what having adequate funding allows the library system to do. Mark Albert, KRCB, Sonoma County News. So long cinema, the age of pickleball is fully upon us or upon Rona Park, at least that city's planning commissioners have approved plans by Centerline 33 health club. It will double the number of pickleball courts at the company's newly planned health club coming to the vacant reading cinemas complex on Rona Park Expressway. The planned health club already includes a 2000 square foot gym and 17 indoor pickleball courts. Rona Park planning manager, Mary Grace Pausen, explains the new addition. It converts 138 parking spaces into a 16 court, 40,000 square foot outdoor venue. And the new courts would include perimeter fencing, landscaping, lighting and shade structures. While these courts won't be public access like those at Rona Park's Sunrise Park or Santa Rosa's Finley Center, Centerline Health Club's Jack Weaver says they're hedging the 16 added outdoor courts 33 in all at the facility will be well used. All I can say is that it's the fastest growing sport in America. And even if it stayed where it's at just now, we believe it's a good use. People are always going to be interested in health fitness. I don't know if you've ever played pickleball, but it's an incredible workout. Weaver says, given the necessary approval from the city, Centerline 33 hopes to have the health club and pickleball courts up and running by February. You're listening to Sonoma County first news. Wine consumption is down in the US for a variety of reasons from inflation to competition from other beverages. But to those in the wine industry, some say the most worrisome challenge is recent rise in anti alcohol sentiment. Early last year, the World Health Organization published a statement declaring there is no safe amount of alcohol consumption. That's a major pivot from previous messaging about the potential health benefits of drinking wine in moderation. Now, the wine industry is fighting back with a new collective marketing campaign. Tina Caputo brings us this story from St. Alina. Standing on the patio at Joseph Phelps winery, it's easy to understand the appeal of drinking wine. You don't get these kinds of views with just any beverage. But today's visitors, a mix of winery owners, retailers and sommeliers, have more on their minds than tasting the latest vintages. They're here to learn about come over October. Karen McNeil is a wine writer and co-creator of the campaign. Every wine drinker has had that experience of sharing wine with someone who they didn't know. And by the end of the evening, you are that person's friend. And why isn't the wine industry telling this story? Instead, McNeil says anti alcohol groups have been driving the narrative with negative headlines that diminish wine's history as a social and communal beverage. The underlying message of come over October is getting together with people is inherently a good thing. And that wine for its 9,000 years has facilitated get-togethers like that. The idea behind the campaign is also to provide an alternative to sober October, a movement that encourages people to take a month off from drinking. Come over October's organizers say there's nothing wrong with individuals wanting to take a break from alcohol. But calling for a large group of people to abstain for a whole month during the year's critical fourth quarter, that's problematic for an industry that's already struggling. That's according to wine communications expert Kimberly Charles, one of come over October's other co-creators. If you talk to any winery or wine organization, they will tell you that that is when the most people drink wine and buy wine. And we want to be able to help amplify that. I feel that the industry has had to be a little bit more survivalist and people have sort of battened down the hatches and taken care of their companies and their brands. But now they see something that we can do together. So far the industry has donated more than $100,000 to the campaign and wineries, restaurants and hotels across the country are planning October events and promotions. McNeil says it's just the beginning. I hope that during the month of October there will be hundreds of thousands of people who love wine, who are sharing it with someone that they either know or want to know more deeply and who are reminded about all of the wine's gifts, all of the things that it has brought those of us who love it so madly. Reporting for KRCB and NorCal Public Media, I'm Tina Caputo. Now this. New from the Embedded Podcast. Female athletes have always needed grit and talent. But for decades, they've also needed a certificate. There was chit-chat about, is that really a woman? And even now, there's still being checked and questioned. Their story is the newest series from CBC and NPR's Embedded. It's called Tested. Listen wherever you get your podcasts. The Olympics may have wrapped up in Paris last weekend, but the battle for medals continues Saturday in Hopland. That's when local wineries seek to impress judges during the 45th annual Mendocino County Fair Wine Competitions People's Choice Blind Tasting. Sponsored by Mendocino wine growers, the tasting showcases wines from across Mendocino County, which will be judged by members of the public as opposed to professional wine judges. The wineries are vying for medals in 16 categories, including Best in Show and Best in Class. The winning wineries will be invited to pour their wines at the Mendocino County Apple Fair in Boone Checking weather now, sunny with highs near 88 today. Tonight we'll see clear skies, lows around 57 tomorrow and Friday. Sunny with highs near 87. Be cool to the upper 70s for the weekend, Saturday and Sunday under plenty of sunshine. We'll see overnight lows in the 50s. At the coast today, sunny and breezy, West Northwest winds will be gusting 20 to 30 miles per hour. Bodega Bay, you're reaching 64 later. Windsor, Forestville and Greatnol climbing the 91, Hillsburg 90, Sabastopol 88, Sonoma 87, Cloverdale and Gurndrill share 86 for a high today. Petaluma 83 and 88 on the way for Santa Rosa. Well thanks for starting your day with us. We are your local member supported public radio newsroom. You can become a member at krcb.org and that's where you'll find more local reporting plus any updates of the stories you just heard. And join us for morning edition and all things considered for more North Bay news coverage weekday mornings and afternoons on krcb 104.9. From Sonoma County's NPR station, I'm Mark Prell. Stay safe out there and have yourself a good day. [Music] [BLANK_AUDIO]